Coin-selecting device.



R. H. POLLOCK.

COIN SELECTING DEVICE.

APPucATLoN man JuNszs. |911.

R. HPOLLOCK.

com sELEcIII'IG nEvrcE. I APPLICATION FILED IuIIi z8; I9I'7 I. II I II II I I I I I I I I III IIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIII.

m IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Coin-Selecting Devices; andI do; declare the ivovlili ROBERT H. '.POLLOCK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

/ COIN-SELECTING DEVICE.

' Specication 'of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 28, 1917. Serial No. 177,533.

To all whom it may concern.'

. Be it known that I, ROBERT I-I. PoLLoCK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented cert-ain new and usefulImprovements in following to be a full, clear, and exact ldescription ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to `make and use the same.

My invention has for its principal vobject to provide means for soselecting diderent coins as to permit any one of a plurality of coins ofdifferentsizes to operate a vending machine or the like, and at the sametime ,to ldiscard all coinsnwhich lthe machine is not intended toreceive.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the classdescribed having a single inlet chute or throat into which any coinwhich is intended to operateY the machine may be deposited.

A further object ofv he present .embodiment of the invention is todevise a machine which may be effectively used for vending purposes,either when a United States five-A cent piece or a Canadian live-centpiece 1s inserted, it belng intended that the device shall be employedalong the border between the United States and Canada and in adjacentterritory in which. coins of both the Canadian and the United StatesGovernments are used. It is to be understood, however, that my inventionis not restricted to the use of nickels and Canadian five-cent pieces,as it could well be constructed for utilizing coins of numerous otherkinds and denominations. have hereinafter set forth that dimes andpennies are discarded, here again it-is to kbe understood that thediscarding means could well be so constructed as to cause it to operateupon other coins.

With the foregoing general objects in View, the invention resides in thenovell features of construction and unique combinations of parts to` behereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter beingsupplemented by the accompanying proved coin selecting means;

Furthermore, although I.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper end portion of thecoin chutes;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with th front plate removed;

Figl is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

' Figs. 5 and. 6 are horizontal sections taken respectively on theplanesof the lines 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 7 8 and 9 are detail transverse sec-- tions@ on the planesindicated by the lines 8 8 and 9--9 respectively of Fig. 3; an

` Patented oet. 1, 191s.

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view showing 'more particularly the twocams which select the coins and either discard themor direct them to theproper chutes.

In the drawings above brieiy described,

the numeral 1 designates' a housing in the lower end of which a coincontrolled vendin mechanism 2 is located, this mechanism being of anysuitable type 4such as that shown and described in my U. S. Patent1161334 of Nov. 23, 1915. Since this particular vending mechanism formsno part fof the present invention it will not be illustrated ordescribed in detail. It may be stated,l however, that a chamber 3 isprovided, this chamber havingtherein an anvil 4 from which coins ofproper characteristics are adapted to rebound so as lto be vdischargedthrough the outlet A5 of the chamber 3 into the vending mechanism 2.Coins which will not rebound to the proper extent will fall from thechamber 3 to the outlet 6 thereof and may either be returned to theoperator or may be collected in the machine. Such details asthese,however, do not affect the present invention in any marmer,

"and are shown only for the purpose of illustrating the preferredembodiment ofthe lat.-

ter. Leading upwardly from the anvil 4 are two parallel chutes 7 and8'respectively, said chutes/being separated by a` partition 9 and havingtheir outer sides closed by side plates 10 and 11', both of said sideplates and'said f' partition beingpreferably formed with slots 12ywhichrender it easy to locate and remove any'obstruction which may be placedin the coin chute and vlodge therein. The

loweredges of the partition 9 and the side plates 10 and 11,-are 'spacedapart by metallicv strips 13 and the upper edge of plate- 11 issimilarly spaced from the partition by an additional strip 14. A strip15 is interposed between the upper edges of the partition 9 and theplate 10, which strip will be hereinafter referred to.

It will be observed that the upper ends of the two chutes turn laterallyin a'horizontally, though slightly inclined direction, and that thechute 7 opens through one side of the casing 1 to form a common inletthroat for both chutes, whereby coins of both sizes, intended toyoperate the device, may be inserted. By the means now to be described,however, the Canadian five cent pieces are permitted to drop down thechute 7, whereas the Il. S. nickels are shifted into the chute 8, thecoin, in either case, being dropped upon the anvil 4l so that `it willrebound and be discharged through the outlet 5 into the vendingmechanism It is further intended that such coins as the U. S. dime andpenny, shall be discarded, since the machine is not intended to operateby the use of such coins and the latter might therefore interfere withthe proper operation of the device.

In carrying out the ends above set forth, the inlet throat 16 isprovided with an outlet 17 which is formed through the partition 9 andcommunicates With the chute 8, it being intended that U. S. nickelsshall pass through the outlet 17 into said chute 8. For so Adirectingthe nickels through the outlet 17 an obliquely disposed cam 18 .isformed on the lower edge of the strip 15 and is located at the upperedge of the outlet as will be clear from the drawings. The nickels areof such height, that when they roll down the inlet throat 16, theirupper edges will strike the cam 18 so that the latter will turn thecoins from their course and 40 .will deposit them in the chute 8, fromwhich they will drop to the anvil 4 as above described. The Canadianfive cent pieces, however, are of considerably less diameter than the U.S. nickels the cam 18 being of such size as to permit said five centpieces to freely pass thereunder so that they continue to the anvil -lthrough the chute 7. It will thus be obviousthat either the Canadiantive cent piece or the U. S. nickels will operate the machine and thatthe latter could well be constructed so that any two coins of similardenomination, could be made to actuate the same.

vA second outlet 19 is provided from the inlet throat 16, this outletbeing formed through the front plate 10 in order that dimes, pennies,and similar coins of asize intermediate the sizes of the Canadian and U.S. five cent pieces, shall be discarded through said outlet. In order todirect coins through the outlet 19 as stated, a secondobliquely'disl-)osed cam 20 is formed on the lower edge of the strip 15,this cam being also so positioned as to prevent the same frominterferingwith the downward travel of a Canadian tive cent piece or thelike down the chute 7. The caln 2O is so located, however, that a penny,a dime, or other coins ot' a similar size, will strike said cam so thatthey are turned from their course and discharged through the outlet 19.suitable chute such as that indicated at 2l in Fig. l), may be employedfor receiving the discards and cariving them to a coin box or the like.

In,y order to prevent any possibility of the Canadian live cent piecespassing through the outlet 19, a spring is secured. at one,

end to the outer side of the. front plate l0,

Vsaid spring extending across the outlet opening lll as most clearlyshown in Figs. L) and The spring will thus perform its intendedfunction` butl this spring is suficientl)Y sensitive to preventinterference thereof with the coins which are discharged through theoutlet 19 by the cam 20.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,itwill be obvious that although the improved coin selecting device issimple and inexpensive, it will be highlw7 etiicient for the purposesintended. Since actual operation has shown that the specificconstruction shown and described will produee the required results, suchconstruction constitutes the preferred form of the device. It is to beunderstood, however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed,numerous minor changes ma)7 be made without sacrificing the principaladvantages.

I claim:

1. A' coin selecting device comprising a chute having a dischargeopening and a sensitive outwardly movable spring extending across saidopening to prevent the proper coins from passing therethrough= incombination with means for forcing improper coins laterally through saidopening against the tension of said spring.

Q. A coin selecting device comprising a coin chute having an inclinedtop and an inclined bottom, the sides of said chute being disposed inparallel planes and each having an opening, and a stepped lug dependingfrom the top of said clmte between said openings and having oppositelydirected cam surfaces extending obliquely across said chute to strikethe upper edge of different sized coins and deiect them laterallyvthrough said openings.

3. A coin selecting device comprising a coin chute down which the coinsroll on edge, the sides of said chute being disposed in parallelvertical planes. one of said sides having an opening, an inclined barpositioned between the upper edges of said sides and forming the top ofthe chute, said bar having longitudinal slots, fasteners passing throughsaid sides and slots, and a Vlng integral with the lower edge of said"bar adware.

5. As an article of manufacture, a `barl 15 adapted to be placed betweenthe :upper .between the upper` edges-of tw'o side'plates of an inclinedcoin c I i chute, v said `bar having vlongitudinal slots to receivefasteners, and a stepped lug formed integrally with the lower-'edge ofy, said bar,-thegvertca1 portions of said lug 20 extending obliquelygofsaid bar to form coin deiecting'cams.. I Y.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand in the presence oftwosubscribing wltnesses. f :1 v ROBERT H. POLLOCK.-

' Witnesses:

. WALTER'C. PoLLocK,

` CHARLES C. Looxwoon.

